Road to a New Beginning
by Jace El
Summary: When Quinn and Santana decide to leave Lima the summer before college they find themselves open to new things. Including each other. Slightly AU, eventual relationship.
1. The Idea

"We're getting out of here."

"Excuse me? What the hell, Fabray?" Santana said looking at her best friend incredulously.

Quinn shrugged, "I don't know about you, but I have two months before I leave this hell hole forever and I'm not planning on spending them in Loserville, Ohio."

"I thought I was the one with the crazy and dangerous ideas?" Santana arched her eyebrow at the blonde.

"Oh please, you wouldn't dare do something remotely dangerous."

"Are you forgetting I'm from Lima Heights Adjacent? I could kill you and make it look like an accident" Santana said scowling at her.

"Lima Height is a closed off rich community and you're about as intimidating as a kitten" Quinn said, sticking out her tongue at the Latina, "Plus out of the two of us I'm the one that's more badass," she added smirking.

Santana eyed Quinn, from the pink streaks in her blonde hair to the black skinny jeans and rolled her eyes.

"Ha, so you agree!" Quinn said pointing her finger at Santana.

"I didn't agree to anything, I'm the badass and you're the psycho that smokes and has pink streaks in her hair," Santana said rolling her eyes, "and didn't you revert back to the good christian girl? This looks more like the punk you," _and like sexy you_, Santana added in her mind.

Quinn shrugged but doesn't say anything on the matter of her appearance.

"Hey what's wrong?" Santana asked, suddenly worried about overstepping her boundaries.

"Nothing, it's just you saying that made me realise how fucking uptight I used to be" Quinn said with a half-hearted smirk.

Santana laughed slightly at the unexpected answer, "And you're realising that now? You could have asked me, I would've told you that ages ago."

"Whatever, we weren't exactly being the best of friends for the last couple of months" Quinn rolled her eyes, "or years," she added as an afterthought.

"About that... I'm sorry" Santana said feeling guilty about not being there for the blonde girl.

"We are not having this conversation now. And I believe we have a road trip to plan."

"I still didn't agree to anything."

"Who said you have to agree?" Quinn quirked her eyebrow.

"Oh so you planned on kidnapping me? Tough luck blondie, your plan was discovered."

"Damn, I was hoping I could steal you for myself."

Santana blushed at that, "If I wouldn't know any better I would say you're flirting with me."

"Well, what do you know, maybe I was."

Santana blushed and averted her eyes making Quinn laugh.

* * *

"How about a Bentley Continental GT?"

"Nah, too fancy, it would make us stand out."

"Then what do you think we should go in?"

"I always wanted to go on a road-trip in one of those Volkswagen camper vans. You know the ones that you can sleep in the back and all."

"That's actually a pretty good idea, and we could totally pimp it out with a TV and stuff."

"A Volkswagen camper it is."

"Do you have any idea where we could get one?"

"Actually I think I have one in the garage."

"Since when?"

"Summer before Senior year, me and my mum went to San Fran to hang out with a couple of friends we know there. I kinda got it there."

"Okay I need to see it to believe it."

"Sure just come over and I'll show you" Quinn said rolling her eyes and ending the call. After throwing her phone on the bed, Quinn looked around the messy room frowning. The state of disorder was nothing new, but now she actually had to make sense of it to find her keys. She walked over to the table tossing everything on top of it unceremoniously on the floor. She continued doing this to every surface of her room until she had a huge pile of random items in the middle of the room. Quinn grinned, satisfied with her work, and started sorting through the pile. She found one of Santana's old watches (she knew it wasn't hers because Santana had the decency to write 'property of a hot latina' on the back of it), a Mumford & Sons CD (she put that aside) and a box full of keychains, but had no luck in locating her keys. She made her way downstairs and found her mom in the kitchen.

"Hey mom, do you know where the keys from the Camper are?"

"Of course, they're in the bowl by the door with the rest of the keys." Judy said turning around and facing her daughter.

"Of course" Quinn muttered and rolled her eyes. She walked swiftly to the door and just as she was slipping her keys into her pocket the doorbell rang making her jump. She opened the door and was quickly enveloped in a pair of tan arms.

"I love you, you know that right?" Santana said, her voice muffled.

Quinn shivered at the proximity of the latina, "Of course I do, what happened?"

"I... I talked to Brittany" Santana said holding the blonde girl tighter.

"And...?" Quinn furrowed her brow, confused how the two issues were related.

"And... I guess she didn't mean to... But she kinda hinted... Well said... That when I were figuring shit out... I abandoned you" Santana said, holding Quinn even closer and burrowing her head in the crook of Quinn's neck.

"You didn't abandon me, and even if you did I don't really know what business it is to her" Quinn said, still slightly irked about the fight she had with the other blonde earlier.

Santana looked up, surprised by the venom in her best friend's voice, "I mean to ask you about that, what happened between the two of you? Brittany refused to tell me anything" she furrowed her brow.

"That's not important right now."

Santana moved away slightly so she could look at Quinn, keeping her hands on the blonde's waist, "It seems to be pretty important since your attitude towards her has done a 180 degree spin."

"I'll tell you later. Now do you want to see the car or not?"

"Lead the way. But you're still not getting out of telling me what happened" Santana grinned.

Quinn rolled her eyes, stepping out of the embrace and slipping her hand into the latina's. They walked the short way to the garage and Quinn quickly opened the garage door, stepping aside to let Santana enter first.

"What do you think?" Quinn asked, fidgeting slightly.

The van had the classic stripe on the side; deep blue and ending in a V at the front. The back windows were tinted, providing privacy if they chose to sleep in the back. Santana held her hand out for the keys which Quinn gave her wordlessly. She unlocked the car and climbed in the back, grinning. There was a black stitched leather couch that could be made into a bed big enough for two people. A chrome, metal panel reached from the side of the bed to the floor and housed a decent pair of subwoofers (and by decent Santana meant pretty fucking awesome). A dreamcatcher was hanging by the window opposite her and the walls had a black matte finish. The front seats were black leather and the dashboard had a beautiful matte finish.

Santana grinned and turned towards the blonde, "I think we found our car."

"Great, now we should figure out where we're going."

"Why don't we drive towards the West coast, San Fran, LA and all that, and then go to New York in time for college? You can drive down to New Haven from there."

Quinn bit her lip but nodded nevertheless, "Sounds like a plan."

"Let's pack then" Santana grinned, already excited to get on the road.


	2. And We're Off

**This one is a bit shorter than the first one, but they're going to get longer from now on I promise! Kinda... :P I'll try to update as much as I can, but school comes first. So yeah... Enjoy!**

* * *

"Okay so where do we want to go? We have maybe one and a half months, then we have to go to New York."

"Well, I want to go to Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, LA and Miami."

"How about we go up to Chicago then Denver. From there we'll go to San Francisco and LA. Then we'll go to Dallas and Miami and from Miami to New York."

"Sounds good, but just how long will that take? We still want enough time to check out the cities."

"Well, overall we should spend about 5 days on the road. That's not even a week, I don't think you have to worry about wasting one month on the road" Quinn said chuckling lightly.

Santana rolled her eyes, "Whatever, I was just checking."

That just made Quinn laugh louder. She seemed to find it so funny that she kneeled on the floor holding her stomach.

"What's going on here?" Judy asked when she saw her daughter besides herself with laughter.

Santana rolled her eyes again, "Ignore her, she laughs at weird things."

That made Judy chuckle and shake her head, "Do you girls need anything? I'm going out so if you need something just tell me."

Quinn suddenly sat up, "I need the new Mumford & Sons CD, it's been out for like a week already and I still haven't heard it," she pouted.

_Could she get any more adorable? _Santana thought smiling slightly, "Q, you like weird things."

"Tell me, tell me, tell me something I don't know, something I don't know, something I don't know, how many inches in a mile, what it takes to make you smile,teach ya not to treat me like a child, baby" Quinn sang softly, grinning cheekily.

"You're such a dork" Santana laughed, pushing the blonde slightly.

"I take it you can take care of yourself?" Judy asked raising her eyebrow at the two teens.

"Yeah we're fine Mama Fabray" Santana said, waving her hand slightly, "I'll make sure this one here doesn't burn down the house" she said, nudging Quinn.

"Appreciated" Judy laughed, "See you late girls" she said waving at them before disappearing down the hall.

"Dork, huh?" Quinn said draping herself over the Latina.

"Yes, dork. Now get off me, we need to pack" Santana said, not quite meeting the other girl's eyes.

* * *

"Okay so do you have everything?" Santana asked Quinn, aware of Quinn's tendency to forget things when she's excited.

"I think I do, I have my money, my iPhone, clothes, and the new Mumford & Sons CD" she replied grinning.

"So let's pack it all in the car and then say goodbye to everyone we give a shit about."

"Sounds good."

The girls collected their duffel bags (and in Quinn's case, her CD's) and went downstairs to load everything in the car outside. When they got downstairs Judy was already waiting for them along with Santana's parents.

"Are you ready girls?" Maribel Lopez said smirking, stepping forward to hug her daughter.

"Born ready" Quinn said, striking the Usain Bolt pose.

"Quinn just remember, when you run out of money call me and I'll add more to your credit card," Judy said hugging her daughter as well.

"I know, I know, you told me like fifty-thousand time," Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Santana...?" A tentative voice called from the doorway.

"I... Brittany! What are you doing here?" Santana said, shocked to see the other blonde.

"I came to say goodbye, we probably won't see each other any time soon," Brittany's blatant ignoring of Quinn didn't go unnoticed.

"Okay then, bye" Santana said waving her hand awkwardly.

Brittany didn't seem to understand personal boundaries as she enveloped Santana in a bear hug, trapping her hands at her sides. Quinn clenched her fists at her side which her mother quickly spotted and laid her hand on her daughter's shoulder. This wasn't the time to start any fights. At last Brittany stepped back and waved once more before she left the house without saying a word to Quinn.

"Well, that was nice and awkward," Santana's father said clapping his hands together.

"Yep," Santana nodded, still a bit weirded out by what just happened.

"Okay so did we say goodbye to everyone? No ex-girlfriends remaining?" Quinn said with slight venom that went unnoticed. The girls already said goodbye to their glee club and everyone else yesterday so the only remaining people were their families. And Brittany.

"Yep, we're good to go," Santana said grinning.

"Shall we, m'lady" Quinn said giving a cheesy smile and extending her hand towards the Latina.

"We shall," Santana laughed.

The girls checked once again if they had everything and when they were hundred percent sure they wouldn't have to turn back because someone forgot their phone they closed the back door and climbed into the front.

"Why are you driving again?" Quinn said from the passenger's seat.

"Because I'm the better driver," The Latina replied sticking out her tongue.

"Okay, whatever, let's just get on the road already."

Santana laughed at the Blonde's enthusiasm and waved to her parents one last time before backing out of Quinn's front drive. She rolled the windows down and slipped on her aviators, driving through the familiar roads of Lima towards the town's limits and beyond. She grasped Quinn's hand, interlocking their fingers, just before they left the 'You are now exiting Lima, Ohio' sign behind them.


	3. Chicago Here We Come

**Enjoy! :D**

* * *

"We are never ever ever getting back together, you go talk to your friends, talk to my friends talk to me..." Quinn sang, dancing on the seat slightly.

Santana simply laughed at her best friend's antics and changed lanes. The girls were two hours into the trip and so far it has gone well. They stopped once for fuel but otherwise drove non-stop. The girls were going through their 'Silly Pop Songs' playlist and were laughing constantly. So far they had Whistle (which Quinn played out accordingly, making Santana laugh), What Makes You Beautiful (which Quinn playfully dedicated to Santana) and were now singing We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Santana said shaking her head slightly.

"Doing what?" Quinn arched her eyebrow.

"Going on a road-trip in a camper, singing at the top of our lungs to crappy songs and getting as far away from Lima as possible."

"Well, when you say it like that...an"

"When I say it like what...? Come on Fabray, finish your sentences, don't you want to be an English major?" She teased slightly.

"It just makes it sound about fifty time cooler than the original idea," Quinn laughed.

"Well, we both know that I'm cooler than you, and since you came up with the original idea it would make sense it sounds better coming from me."

"Whatever," Quinn grinned slipping off her converses and kicking up her feet onto the dashboard.

"Hey no feet on the dashboard," Santana reached over slapping Quinn's calf slightly.

"Hey, my car, my rules," Quinn said not putting down her feet.

Santana rolled her eyes but grinned nevertheless. She honestly missed Quinn. While she was busy pursuing Brittany (which would end up being a huge waste of time anyway) she didn't make any time for her and she can honestly say it's one of her biggest regrets.

"Hey what are you thinking about in that little pretty head of yours," Quinn said, poking the Latina on her temple.

"Nothing," Santana said, smiling softly at the blonde.

"Hey, we're stuck in this moving can for at least 4 more hours, I think it's a good time to start talking about... Everything really."

"Really? You think this is the best time to start working on our issues?"

"Yep."

"Fine, where do you want to start?"

"What were you thinking about," Quinn replied instantly.

"Everything."

"Yeah, because that's not vague at all, come on, spill."

"I was thinking about Brittany."

The reaction was instant. The moment those words left Santana's lips Quinn straightened up from her current position and clenched her fists.

"What about her?" Quinn spat out between clenched teeth.

Santana eyed Quinn's reaction curiously. She's going to make sure Quinn tells her what happened between the two of them before they reach Chicago, "I was thinking about what a waste of time pursuing her was."

"Waste of time? Didn't you love her?" Quinn asked, ignoring the sharp pain in her chest the question bought on.

"I thought I did," Santana said glancing at the blonde quickly before averting her eyes back to the road, "now it's your turn, what happened between the two of you? She completely ignored you earlier today and you seem to be really pissed off at her."

"We fought," Quinn said shortly.

"About? C'mon Quinn you have to tell me once."

"Yeah once. But not today."

Santana sighed, it was obvious she wasn't going to get anything out of Quinn today, so she reached across the middle console, taking Quinn's hand and simply saying, "I'm yours," not exactly realising the magnitude of her words (or the way Quinn's heart skipped a beat when she heard the Latina's words).

"Yeah..." Quinn smiled softly.

"Okay, now that's behind us how much longer are we going to be stuck in this moving can?"

"About three hours left, and then hello Chicago," Quinn said grinning.

* * *

"I'm hungry," Quinn stated. The girls spent the last hour singing (obviously) and talking (more like laughing) so Quinn's request came out of the blue.

"Really? We're nearly there, I'm sure you can wait," Santana grinned.

"Please, Tana, pretty pretty please with a cherry dunked in chocolate on top," Quinn pouted.

"Fine," Santana rolled her eyes.

"Yes," Quinn shouted, fist pumping.

About ten minutes later they pulled over to a nearby gas station and Quinn tossed her wallet at Santana, "Bacon sandwich, please, I'm to lazy to get up," she said grinning.

"Of course your majesty," Santana rolled her eyes.

"Thank you," Quinn said and kissed Santana's cheek.

Santana climbed out of the car trying to fight down the blush that she just knew she was sporting. Since when did Quinn Fabray have any sort of control over her? This was spinning out of her control and fast. And the worst part was she didn't think she minded.

Ten minutes later Santana returned to the car where Quinn was waiting for her, leaning against the car with her sunglasses on, "I thought you got lost," she said with a smirk.

"You're going to bare my presence for a bit longer," Santana rolled her eyes, tossing the bacon sandwich to Quinn.

"Thanks."

"No problem, can we go now?" Santana said, rolling her eyes playfully,

"Yep," Quinn replied cheerfully.

Santana rolled her eyes once again before climbing into the car and leaving the gas station. She changed lanes and then relaxed into the seat. She rolled her eyes when Quinn reached over to the radio and changed the station from the current pop one to a Indie on that probably only Quinn heard about.

"I forgot about your weird taste in music."

"My taste in music is perfect and anyone who disagrees is wrong and probably smells weird."

"You think I smell weird?" Santana asked, knowing exactly how flustered Quinn will get.

"What? Of course I don't! I mean... um... well..." Quinn trailed off not exactly knowing where she was going with that sentence.

Santana laughed at how adorable Quinn was being, "Chill I was joking."

"Yeah, well it wasn't funny."

"Like hell it wasn't!"

"Well, whatever, I think we're here." Quinn said as she looked out of the window.

"I believe we are," Santana said as she took in the skyscrapers that were already towering over her. Not even half-way through the trip and it was shaping to be a lot different from their hometown, "Are we ready for this?" she asked just a bit anxious.

"Hells yeah we are," Quinn said grinning and taking the Latina's hand, squeezing it reassuringly.


	4. Hello, Chicago

**A/N - I'm sorry for the huge wait, life has got in the way and school is kicking my ass. I'll try to update regularly :) 3 **

* * *

"This is amazing," Santana gawked as they entered the spacious lobby. The girls finally arrived in Chicago and just entered the lobby of the hotel that's going to be their home for the next week or so. Santana had no idea what hotel Quinn booked so she was in complete awe as she stepped into the five star resort.

Quinn smiled softly, "Come on, we still need check in."

Santana just nodded, following the blonde towards the Reception.

"Welcome to Trump International Hotel & Tower, how may I help you?" the elegantly dressed receptionist asked.

"Reservation for Fabray."

The rest of the conversation was lost on Santana as she once again looked around the lobby in awe. Her eyes passed the over the large windows and upwards, the ceiling nearly lost in the sheer height of the tower.

Quinn touched her arm softly, "Come on."

A different employee led them towards the elevators, escorting them to their room and informing them about the general times of the meals.

"We are never leaving this room," Santana said as her eyes swept across the room. It was mainly beige with the furthest wall made fully of floor-to-ceiling length window. It had a wooden panel behind the king sized bed and the whole room had slight lavender accents.

"That would kind of ruin the whole point of this trip wouldn't it?" Quinn commented dryly.

"Whatever, now explain why we're sharing a bed even though we're in a fancy hotel?" Santana asked, worried about what her unconscious body would do in the near proximity of the blonde.

"The ones with two queen beds were all booked, I didn't think you would have a problem with sharing a bed," Quinn said fighting down the blush that was creeping up her neck.

"I don't," Santana rolled her eyes as she entered the bathroom, "Oh my god this is so cool!" she shouted as she saw the TV in the mirror showing the hotel's promo.

"What is?" Quinn asked stepping into the bathroom.

Santana just pointed towards the mirror and Quinn's eyes widened when she saw the TV, "How is that even possible?"

"I don't know, but now that I showed you what the big deal is, get out, I want to shower and I can't do that with you here because I'm not ready for that big of a commitment."

* * *

"So where to first?" Santana asked. Both of them showered and unpacked already and were now sprawled across the huge bed with half of Quinn's body laying on top of Santana.

"Its kind of late so how does a club sound?"

"Sounds perfect, but do you know any?"

"I think I have the perfect one," Quinn grinned.

An hour later the girls were ready to head out, "San are you ready, we'll never get out of the room at this rate!" Quinn shouted banging on the bathroom door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, calm your tits," Santana said walking out of the bathroom.

* * *

Quinn was left speechless as her eyes zeroed on Santana's ass and stayed glued there. She was wearing a skin tight black dress that hugged her in all the right place and smoky make up, could you really blame her for staring?

"Like what you see?" She asked turning towards Quinn and winking at her before walking out of the door. Quinn trailed after her, _this is going to be a long night_, she thought as she once again found herself checking Santana out.

* * *

The girls entered _The Underground_, thank god their fake ID's still worked, and were swept right away by the crowd, the booming bass and the sweeping lights. Santana watched in awe as Quinn seemed to blend right in, grinding against strangers and flirting her way through the crowd. If it wasn't for their hands tightly interlocked Santana would've lost sight of the blonde nearly immediately. Once they were at the bar Quinn flagged down the waiter and ordered two Jack and Coke's before Santana could get a word in.

"What?" Quinn asked defensively when she saw the Latina's arched eyebrow.

"I can order for myself you know," Santana replied dryly.

Quinn rolled her eyes and sipped the drink in her hand. A few drinks later and Santana was already tipsy.

"Not so fast, blondie," Santana muttered under her breath when she saw Quinn already found someone to dance with. The blonde was grinding against a brunette, her back to her front, her drink in one hand and the other holding the brunette's neck. What nearly shocked Santana out of her gawking was the sight of Quinn dancing with a _girl_. Although the blonde was far from the uptight Christian she used to be Santana still wasn't quite used to the Quinn that was free willed and outspoken. And possibly even gayer than she used to be.

"Play time's over," Santana said as she finally reached the couple.

"Excuse me?" the brunette Quinn was dancing with raised her eyebrow.

"You heard me," Santana snapped. She took Quinn by her arm and dragged her towards the edge of the dance floor, completely ignoring the blonde's protest.

"Why'd you have to do that?" Quinn asked, sliding her hands to Santana lower back and nuzzling into Santana's neck. Santana swallowed, she forgot how affectionate Quinn got when she drank, and at this rate Santana will be in a lot of trouble.

"You're drunk, you had no idea of what you were doing," Santana answered.

"I know exactly what I was doing!" Quinn exclaimed indignantly. "I was dancing with a smoking brunette that seemed to be into me, but now the plan of hooking up is shot to hell."

"You have no idea what you're saying," Santana swallowed trying to think about everything _but_ Quinn's newfound gayness.

"I am aware of the fact that I was about to hook up with a girl if that's what you're saying."

"But you're not gay!"

Quinn muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'that's what you think,' out loud she said, "Whatever, let's dance."

Before Santana could protest, the blonde already dragged her towards the dance floor and started grinding against her; evoking feelings that she most definitely should not feel towards her long time best friend. "Dance," Quinn whispered hotly into Santana's ear. Santana swallowed, Quinn was not exactly helping with her predicament down south.

A few songs later and the roles seemed to be reversed. Quinn sobered up during their dance session and Santana seemed to get even more drunk. They were currently sitting in a booth that they sat down at when Quinn started complaining about back pains (Santana was once again painfully reminded that she might've lost Quinn). Santana was chugging down yet another drink and Quinn was trying to prepare for the coming sob fest Santana was sure to start in all her drunk glory.

"I broke up with Brittany," Santana said and Quinn prepared for the emotional wreck Santana would inevitably transform into.

"I know. Why?" Quinn asked unable to fight down her curiosity.

"I mistook puppy love for true love, and I figured that out after we got together," She said, surprisingly clear.

"And...?" Quinn prompted when Santana didn't seem to react to the break up, acting completely nonchalantly.

"And I figured out something else," Santana said, tears brimming in her eyes.

"And what is that?" Quinn said, startled by the abrupt change of events.

"I can't tell you," Santana shakes her head.

_Of course you can't_, Quinn thinks as she holds the Latina closer, "How about we get a cab and go back to our room?"

Santana nods but refuses to move away. Quinn sighs with an affectionate smile and picks up Santana, _thank god for Sue Sylvester_, she thinks as she easily carries the Latina out of the club. Once they are out of the stuffy club Quinn quickly hailed a cab and climbed inside, telling the driver their destination before relaxing into the seat and gazing outside.

"Come on San, we're here," Quinn shook Santana's shoulder.

Santana nodded and waited until Quinn payed the driver before lacing her fingers with the blonde's and climbing out of the car. The pair made their way into the hotel where Quinn tugged Santana towards the reception to get their keys. Once the receptionist handed them over Quinn slipped her arm around Santana's waist to steady her.

"I'll go shower first, you stay here and try to sober up," Quinn sighed as they entered their room.

"But I don't wanna be alone," Santana pouted.

Quinn rolled her eyes, "How about we just get rid of our make-up and climb under the sheets?"

Santana nods frantically and nearly sprints towards the bathroom (which is quite an accomplishment since she's intoxicated). Quinn shakes her head at the Latina; she seemed to turn into attention whore when she passes her weepy stage. And she meant that in the most affectionate way possible.

Santana is already make-up free when the blonde enters the bathroom and Quinn quickly gets rid of hers before tugging Santana out of the bathroom. They qucikyl change into more comfortable clothes and Quinn tries not to stare _too_ much. The blonde climbs into the bed and lies down when she sees Santana doing the same. She makes sure Santana is lying down before reaching towards the switch on the wall and turning the lights off.

"Night, San."

"Night, Quinn," Santana mumbles, already half asleep.


	5. Hello There, Sea World

**Late I know, just bear with me :P Merry Christmas, Hanukkah or whatever else you're celebrating :) 3**

* * *

Quinn slowly opened her eyes and squinted against the sunlight. She groaned at the pounding in her head and felt someone chuckle besides her.

"Rough night?" Santana asked, her arms tightening around the blonde.

"Shut up," Quinn rasped out, burrowing closer to the Latina, not caring how clingy she looks.

Santana chuckled slightly. "You know how everybody is one type of a drunk? You seem to have a type when you are hangover too."

"And what would that be?" Quinn asked, curious despite the pounding in her head.

"Adorable," Santana smiled, and her smile turned into a grin when she saw the blonde's ears turn red. Quinn whined slightly in embarrassment and tried to hide in Santana's neck. Santana chuckled and reached over to the bedside table for the aspirin. "Swallow these," she said helping Quinn to sit up and gave her the two pills with a cup of water. She nodded gratefully and quickly swallowed the pills.

"So what's the plan for today?" Santana asked once Quinn stopped acting as if it was the end of the world.

"Lie in bed for the whole day?" she asked hopefully.

Santana chuckled. "Nope, we're staying here for only 4 days and we are not spending them lying around and being lazy, so how about you tell me about your original plan. You know the one before you got completely smashed."

Quinn huffed indignantly. "I did not get smashed as you so eloquently put it."

"Whatever you say, babe."

Quinn rolled her eyes and carefully climbed out of the bed. No matter how carefully it might have been the room still spun before her and she would've fell if Santana didn't steady her. "Careful now."

Quinn nodded and attempted to get to the bathroom once again. Once she successfully reached her goal she locked the door behind her and stepped towards the sink, inspecting her reflection. She splashed cold water onto her face and tried to think of a way to make herself seem less like a zombie and more like a human being. Once she was done in the bathroom she stepped out and turned towards Santana.

"It's all yours."

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Santana asked, slightly anxious.

"I'll be fine," Quinn rolled her eyes.

Santana nodded and stepped into the bathroom. Once Quinn made sure Santana wasn't coming out anytime soon she dropped head-first into the bed and groaned into her pillow. The only thing that came to her mind when she tried to think about yesterday's night were flashing lights and booming music. The picture in her head wasn't exactly reassuring. She sighed and set out to find something to wear for today's outing (Santana didn't know where they were going but the blonde thought she would enjoy the place she had in mind).

"So where too?" Santana asked once she was dressed and ready to go.

"You'll see," Quinn replied smirking.

"Not this again," the Latina groaned.

"Get used to it."

Santana groaned once again and followed the blonde out of the hotel. She tried to listen in when Quinn leaned over to whisper their destination to the taxi driver but was unsuccessful. She huffed when Quinn gave her a smirk, obviously knowing about her failed attempt at eavesdropping, and crossed her arms, looking out of the window and ignoring the blonde. After the short ride the girls stepped out of the cab and looked around. Santana's attention was immediately drawn towards the huge building in front of her with the words JOHN G. SHEDD AQUARIUM carved in bold at the top. Santana looked at the blonde and quirked an eyebrows. "The aquarium? Really?"

"You'll like it trust me," Quinn said, grabbing the Latina's hand and pulling her towards the entrance. Once the girls paid for their tickets Santana tugged on Quinn's hand impatiently since the blonde was taking to long for the Latina's liking, Quinn chuckled but let herself be pulled towards the first exhibition.

* * *

4 hours later and Santana showed no signs of being even remotely tired. Quinn was dragging her feet trying her hardest not to whine and pout; it was her idea after all.

"Quinn, take a photo."

"I can't take a photo of every single thing we see, Tana," Quinn said exasperatedly.

"But we need to record the whole trip," Santana protested.

"Yes, we need to record the trip, not what we do every second of every day."

Santana sighed but admitted defeat. "I'm tired can we go now?"

Quinn checked her watch and nodded. "Sure, do you want to do anything else or just stay in the hotel room for the rest of the night?"

"Can we just stay in? I'm kinda tired."

Quinn nodded and started to lead the way out of the aquarium. The girls caught a taxi back to the hotel and quickly collected their key, entering the elevator and pressing the appropriate button.

"So what do you want to do?" Quinn asked whilst unlocking the door. "We can either order in or go to dinner downstairs."

"Right about now, going anywhere sounds horrible."

"Order in it is," Quinn smiled.

"Dibs on the bathroom," Santana called out from where she was digging through her clothes.  
Quinn rolled her eyes and went to search for her iPod, knowing very well that the beauty queen will take her sweet time in the bathroom. She plopped down on the bed and put her headphones on, letting the sound of Mumford and Sons wash over her. About 45 minutes later Santana emerged from the steamy bathroom to find Quinn spread out on the bed, eyes closed and headphones in, completely oblivious to the world outside her. She took the chance to observe the blonde; the way her short hair fell around her and how she looked so peaceful like this. She tried not to get distracted by the way Quinn's shirt ridden up to show the hints of her abs. She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts that are most definitely not friendly. She walked over to the blonde and gently removed her headphones. Quinn's eyes snapped open and darted around the room before settling on Santana. "It's rude to interrupt people when they're doing something."

"Are you saying that if I asked something you would've replied?"

"I probably wouldn't have heard you," Quinn admitted begrudgingly.

Santana seemed to be satisfied with that answer as she changed the topic, "Have you ordered yet?"

"Nope, I didn't know what you wanted so I decided to wait for you."

"You were just too lazy to order, weren't you?" Santana said with a knowing smirk.

Quinn just shrugged and smirked right back.

Santana shook her head, "Go shower, woman."

"Yes, ma'am," Quinn mock-saluted and collected her things.

After a much shorter shower than Santana's, Quinn emerged from the shower to find a large assortment of food and drinks laid out on the bed.

"Are you planning on feeding an army?" Quinn asked amused.

"Nope, just the two of us. I'm still not sure if this is enough with your appetite," Santana grinned.

Quinn glared at the Latina, shoving her slightly. "Look who's talking. I'm surprised I didn't find empty wrappers and containers rather than food."

"Just shut up and eat," Santana rolled her eyes, reaching for one of the containers.

Quinn chuckled slightly but sat down next to her and followed the Latina's instructions, reaching for her own container.

The girls are in silence for a couple of minutes before Santana couldn't take it. "Okay, I want some answers."

Quinn quirked an eyebrow but continued eating.

"What happened between Brittany and you?" Santana immediately asked.

Quinn hesitated, "I think that's a conversation for another time."

"Why do you keep on evading that question?" Santana asked, more than frustrated.

"Look, I know I'm being beyond annoying with this but I promise I will tell you. Later."

"And when is that? I want to know before we come back to Lima."

"Half-way through this trip. In LA. Until then we won't talk about it, deal?"

Santana looked at Quinn with slight suspicion. "Fine, but if you won't tell me I will go all Lima Height on you skinny ass."


	6. Hold up and go

**I am so sorry for the I huge wait. I was in and our of the hospital for about 3 months so I didn't have much time for writing. But enough with the excuses and on with the show.**

* * *

Santana groaned as she unsuccessfully tried to wake up the blonde besides her. They spent the last few days exploring what Chicago had to offer and decided that they'll continue going westwards today. They packed their bags the night before and Santana was ready to leave. Quinn however was still sleeping soundly and didn't even move when Santana left her arms (apparently she cuddled up to her during the night; something she will deny to her dying breath).

"Come on Quinn, we have to get going," Santana groaned as she poked the blonde's side. Quinn mumbled something and tried to bury herself deeper into the covers. Santana once again groaned and decided that enough was enough. She planted her foot firmly onto Quinn's hip and pushed. Quinn yelped and ended up on the floor in a tangle of limbs and covers.

"What was that for?" She glared up at the Latina.

"You refused to get up, so I was forced to take drastic actions," Santana shrugged innocently.

"Kicking me out of bed isn't drastic, it's downright sadistic," Quinn grumbled as she stood up and brushed herself off.

"Yeah well next time try to get up on time."

Quinn just stuck out her tongue and walked down the hall to the bathroom. When she reentered the bedroom the girls rechecked their baggage to make sure they're not leaving anything behind and then made their way downstairs. Once they checked out they set their things into the van before Quinn got behind the wheel.

"Denver, here we come," Quinn grinned.

"How long is the drive?" Santana asked, propping her feet up and slipping her aviators on.

"Um, about 15 hours, so we'll be stopping somewhere for the night."

Santana groaned, "Does that mean we'll be sleeping in the van?"

"Afraid so," Quinn smirked.

Santana glowered at the blonde. Quinn was having way too much fun with this. And if she wouldn't be driving she would so get revenge, but alas, revenge will have to wait.

"You know, smug is a really bad look on you."

"Oh please, you know I can pull anything off," Quinn scoffed.

"Again with the smugness," Santana exclaimed.

Quinn laughed but didn't bother replying. Santana rolled her eyes and huffed, relaxing into the seat. The time flew by as the girls talked and sang to the radio and soon it was dark outside.

"We should probably find someplace to crash," Quinn said, glancing at Santana.  
"Can't we just sleep in the van?"

"We still need to find somewhere to park it," Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Fair enough," Santana nodded.

A few minutes later Quinn pulled over at a truck stop and parked the van a few spaces away from the rest of the cars. She climbed out and stretched, wincing slightly at the popping noise her back made.

"I'll go get us something to eat," she said, nodding towards the building a few meters away. Santana nodded distractedly, already climbing into the back. Quinn came back shortly with a couple of sandwiches. She tossed one at Santana when she found her sprawled out across the whole bed.

"Hey, what was that for?" Santana frowned as she sat up and shuffled to the side to make room for Quinn.

Quinn shrugged with a smirk and climbed into the back, closing the door behind her. The girls ate in relative silence and Santana smirked when she saw Quinn wolfing down her food.

"What?" Quinn asked with her hand covering her mouth.

Santana shook her head slightly, "I will never get how you can eat so fast without getting sick."

Quinn stuck her tongue out and threw her trash on the front seat, lying down on the mattress and stretching out. Santana quickly followed and elbowed Quinn in the ribs when she refused to move from her current position, which was taking up most of the space.

"'Night, Tana," Quinn mumbled, wrapping her arm around Santana's waist.

"Goodnight, Q," Santana said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

. . .

Santana woke up first - as she usually did - and immediately shielded her eyes from the sun that was streaming in through the windows. She looked down at Quinn and smiled at the sight in front of her. Quinn was back to being her obnoxious self as she was spread out across the bed with her hair going ever which way. She checked the time and seeing as it was just past 10AM she started poking Quinn in the ribs.

"Get up, sleepyhead," Santana grinned.

Quinn grunted and tried to shuffle away from from Santana but given the limited space she wasn't very successful.

"Okay, okay, I'm up," Quinn said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Finally," Santana rolled her eyes.

Quinn stuck her tongue out at her and stretched. "Want to go get breakfast with me?" she asked.

"Sure," Santana nodded, unlocking the car and climbing out into the sunny day. They walked towards the gas station and Santana glared at the truckers that started wolf whistling at them the moment that they entered. She quickly payed for their food and dragged Quinn back to the truck.

"A bit possessive, aren't we?" Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"Just get in the car," Santana rolled her eyes, climbing into the passenger seat.

2 hours passed with relative ease since the girls spent their time bantering lightly and singing along to random playlists they made.

"I just realized, why am I the one driving? Can't we switch sometimes?" Quinn whined slightly.

"'Cause we need someone who's able to read a map without getting lost within the first few minutes," Santana rolled her eyes. "When will we be there?" She added as an afterthought.

"Couple more hours, tops. We're pretty close."

Santana nodded and relaxed back into her seat. Since they have a couple of hours to go she decided to take a quick nap. Quinn would wake her when they arrived.

. . .

Santana opened her eyes blearily to look at her surroundings. The sky outside darkened and the the plain landscapes gave away to the city lights. They were parked in front of a hotel and she could see Quinn talking with the bellboy. Quinn turned around a grinned when she saw Santana waving her over.

"Good morning, sleepy head," Quinn said, throwing her arm around Santana's shoulders.

Santana tried to act annoyed. She really did. But she was still slightly sleepy so she just wrapped her arm around the taller girl's waist and rested her head on Quinn's shoulder.

"Our baggage is already in the room, so we can just go straight up," Quinn murmured, seeing that Santana wasn't awake enough to have a decent conversation.

Santana nodded and stifled a yawn, leaning heavily on Quinn.

Quinn chuckled lowly into Santana's ear, making her shiver. "Let's get you to bed."

Best idea ever.


End file.
